Ten greatest things about Mortal Kombat

Rounding up a few of the many moments of greatness and gore

Nipped in the Buddha The Buddha statue from the second stage of the arcade MK1 is extending its middle finger in a deliberately rude gesture.

Impaled by comparisonAfter impaling an opponent on the ceiling spikes in MK2, holding down on both joysticks makes the body slide to the floor.

Name that meat Ultimate MK3 added "brutalities" - finishing moves that sent the winner into a punching frenzy and made the loser explode in a shower of suspiciously identical body parts. You'd often see at least three skulls and a couple of ribcages.

Fight the system Despite the huge popularity of MK2, the fighting system was revised for MK3, adding a Run button and a combo system reminiscent of Killer Instinct. The Mortal Kombat series never really recovered.